Gloria McDonald felt like she had traveled back in time when she walked into the lobby of Big Spring’s recently reopened Settles hotel.

“I remember when it was alive and well,” the longtime Big Spring resident said of the historic hotel that served as the venue for her high school prom in 1953.

Looking around the room at the gold-leafed molding, 1930s-period furnishings and marble staircase, McDonald noted how similar the renovated space is to the original design.

“It’s eerie it’s so close,” she said. “It’s phenomenal.”

Like many Big Spring residents, McDonald doubted the property would ever be restored to its original beauty and function.

“I was on City Council the first meeting Brint (Ryan) had with the mayor. It was beyond belief that this would happen,” she said.

Big Spring native Brint Ryan, CEO of Ryan, LLC, remembers the Settles as “the heart of the community.” The hotel was built by W.R. Settles in 1929 during the 1920s oil boom. It opened in 1930 and closed about 50 years later. Ryan purchased the abandoned property in 2006 with the intent to renovate the hotel.

“When I came in they were trying to come up with the money to tear it down. Everyone thought it was the symbol of a failed community,” he said. “I just didn’t believe that. I felt like it was something that was a critically important part of our history — not just in Big Spring but in all of West Texas.”

Keeping history alive

When renovations began in 2008 — after asbestos abatement and the removal of 700 tons of contaminants and debris — Ryan made it a priority to keep the hotel as close to its original design as possible.

“It was important from the beginning to me that it be historically accurate,” he said.

Guided by old photographs and the original 1929 blueprints, Ryan and his team worked to restore and replicate interior details of the hotel. The floor in the lobby is the same tile installed in 1929, though areas have had to be patched. Lobby furnishings are replicates of pieces seen in old photographs. Molds were made from broken pieces of plaster to recreate intricate gold-leaf trim.

The first three floors of the hotel — the lobby, mezzanine and one floor of guest rooms — were renovated as the property’s historical floors.

“Those we kept as original as possible,” said Juan Rodriguez, general manager. “We replicated all the plaster work to its original state. We tried to replicate everything to be the same.”

The second floor mezzanine and conference areas include original weighted windows and door frames. Meeting spaces have names such as Texas and Pacific Room, Cosden Room and Birdwell Conference Room.

“All the names we picked are to promote what sparked the economy in Big Spring,” said Rodriguez.

The grand ballroom is restored to its original sea green, cream and gold color palette. Iron fans hang from the walls, despite the addition of an air conditioning system. An enlarged panoramic photo hanging in the ballroom shows the same details of the space — the fans, crystal chandeliers, trim and wall panels — used during the 1931 West Texas Drug Convention.

Historic photos decorate walls throughout the property, inviting guests to find the old within the new.

83 years later

Even on Hotel Settles’ historic floors, guests won’t be able to escape modern technology completely. Second-floor conference rooms are equipped with wireless Internet connections and audio/visual capabilities. Fire alarms and other safety features ensure the property is up-to-date with building codes. Even the historical rooms that feature iron beds and sparse furniture include wall-mounted flat-screen TVs. Only two rooms on the historical third floor were left at their original size with just enough space for a bed and a nightstand and a small bathroom with a pedestal sink and original cast iron tub. Other rooms were combined into two-room suites with a bedroom and adjoining living area.

At the other end of the floor, is suite 311 that housed Elvis when he performed at the municipal auditorium in 1955. Originally fitted with a bed and a Murphy bed, the room now features a bed, sofa bed and small kitchenette.

While the original hotel had about 150 guest rooms, the renovated version will have 65. Thirteen rooms are on the historic third floor. Each floor above that features five guest rooms with the 14th floor housing three suites. Thirty of the rooms currently are open.

“Every week we open a few more as they finish,” Rodriguez said.

The tower rooms on the fourth through 13th floors include a king- or queen-sized bed, separate bath and shower or large shower with body sprays. Despite the modern conveniences, the rooms still are furnished with pieces that don’t look out of place in the 1930s-inspired decor.

“The rooms are exquisite,” said McDonald. “They’re like anything you’d find in Dallas, Austin, New York even.”

The full experience

The team Ryan chose to run the hotel has been involved in renovating and operating historic properties around Texas.

La Corsha Hospitality Group has worked with the Driskill Hotel in Austin, the Mansion on Turtle Creek and Hotel Adolphus in Dallas and Saint Anthony Hotel in San Antonio.

“The whole La Corsha team kind of got together and worked with our owner, Brint Ryan, to design and organize what we have here in Big Spring,” said Rodriguez.

Initially intending to renovate the hotel only, the scope of the project expanded to include the Settles Grill, the Pharmacy Bar and Parlor, the salon, pool area and other attractions.

“When you come and stay with us it’s not just a room, it’s an experience,” Rodriguez said. “From dining in our restaurant to having a cocktail in the lounge, it’s a full experience.”

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Settles Grill gives Texas comfort food a sophisticated touch, just as it offers a refined take on coffee shop décor. The menu features appetizers such as chicken fried olives and entrees such as charbroiled beef tenderloin served with green onion-garlic mashed potatoes, oak barrel-bourbon steak sauce and tobacco onions. Executive Chef Rob Cook came to the Settles from Austin where he trained with Chef David Bull of five-star restaurant Congress and downtown Austin’s Second Bar + Kitchen.

The Pharmacy Bar and Parlor features a bar area with tables and a parlor with a fireplace and soft seating. A staircase inside the bar area leads to the Judge’s Chamber cigar bar that will be available for private parties. The outdoor pool area and pavilion is still under construction and should open this spring.

“We have the whole package, pretty much,” Rodriguez said. “I think it was something that was needed here in Big Spring.”

Booming in Big Spring

Since its opening at the first of the year, Hotel Settles has filled all of its available rooms. The last weekend in December, staff opened the doors for current and former Big Spring residents only. Every room was booked. Rodriguez has been in awe of the community’s response to the project’s completion.

“You can see it in their eyes, there’s a lot of memories here. You can hear stories about their grandparents, their relatives who used to work here,” he said.

Guests from out of town also are taking advantage of another place to stay in West Texas.

“We have a lot of people who are coming through who can’t find a hotel room,” he said. “It’s a busy town right now.”

With hopes of seeing more revitalization efforts in his hometown, Ryan purchased the downtown Ritz Theater and is waiting to gauge success of the Settles before he begins renovations. He also has acquired many of the properties on the block surrounding the hotel and plans on renovating and leasing those spaces.

“So far we’ve been sold out since we opened. We’re as busy as we can be,” he said. “I’m hopeful if we can continue to show that progress ... it’s going to be a beacon to show others how these things can be done because there are a number of other great opportunities in town. I hope it’s the first domino to fall in the restoration of the entire downtown area for Big Spring.”